DBIA’s mission is to provide the best resources available to help inform and empower our industry. In these uncertain times, that mission is even more important. As our communities fight the Coronavirus, we are working to find the best information available to help design-build teams navigate the unknown. This daily newsletter will provide the latest COVID-19 news for the AEC community.
Design-builders deliver in times of crisis and we will again.
If you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry from your organization, state or community please email us.
May 13th
National
Transpo Workers Get Aid In House Dems’ $3T Relief Bill-ConstructionLaw360. House Democrats’ Tuesday proposal for $3 trillion in COVID-19 relief legislation includes money for state transportation and public transit agencies, along with a federal mandate requiring face masks for passengers and employees of airlines, Amtrak and mass transit.
At Senate Hearing, Government Experts Paint Bleak Picture of the Pandemic-New York Times. Two of the federal government’s top health officials painted a grim picture of the months ahead on Tuesday, warning a Senate panel that the coronavirus pandemic was far from contained. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and Dr. Robert R. Redfield predicted dire consequences if the nation reopened its economy too soon while noting that the United States still lacked critical testing capacity and the ability to trace the contacts of those infected.
States
California
Coronavirus economy: Construction sprouts in Silicon Valley after shutdowns cease-The Mercury News. Construction has been halted on a wide scale because of state and local government shutdowns. But in recent days, Bay Area officials and government entities throughout the state have authorized resuming construction activities as long as social distancing and several other health measures are instituted at the work sites.
California Opens Door Wider To COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Claims-Engineering News-Record. Business groups are worried about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May 6 executive order, which says workers who contract COVID-19 on the job may be eligible to receive workers’ compensation. The order allows any claim to presume that the worker contracted the virus on the job but gives employers the chance to rebut.
Florida
More Closures on I-4, State Road 408 as Work on the I-4 Ultimate Project Accelerates During Pandemic-WFME. The Florida Department of Transportation is accelerating more than 40 critical infrastructure projects, such as the I-4 project, across all districts by at least 650 total contract days. This is part of a directive from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Texas
Construction sites in Travis County become hot spots for COVID-19 cases-Fox 7 News. Austin health officials are tracing COVID-19 cases to construction sites in Travis County. Austin Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said construction sites are becoming hotspots for the virus and the city plans to target testing at construction sites.
Washington
Despite Gov. Inslee’s order – and complaints from the public – construction projects kept swinging hammers during coronavirus lockdown-The Seattle Times. During the state of Washington’s lockdown, residential construction was severely limited. But despite hundreds of complaints from citizens about suspected violations, the state took no enforcement actions against residential construction firms that violated the order.
Industry
Supply-Chain Risk Planning: What’s the Best Approach?-Industry Week. Heroic efforts around COVID-19 highlight the over-reliance on shoot-from-the-hip strategies.
Backlog, the industry’s ‘protective shield’ continues to decline in every category, region-Construction Dive. Construction backlog has generally been seen as a “protective shield” against recessionary forces but this is not the case with the current crisis. The commercial construction backlog is down 0.4 months compared to March and 1.7 months from last year.
What’s Next For Construction And Contech After COVID-19?-Forbes. As the world slowly starts to shift into Phase 2 of the COVID-19 pandemic – ease lockdown and attempt to coexist with the virus – we’re trying to figure out the economic outlook for our countries and our industry sectors. So what does this mean for specific sectors like construction and contech?
Contact our editors if you have COVID-19 news impacting the AEC industry to share.